Ken Sharpe: Case of downtrodden grace

Sharpe of West Properties has been the page maker in the local media where the media had found “news worth writing about and a quick business turnaround”.
The task to develop Zimbabwe is such a heavy task. That soon culminated into yet another article that was appellated “Development has no political allegiance”.
Term my literary repertoires vitriolic and acerbic, but ponder too on the necessity of its importance. While we should rethink this, it is ideal that we see this as a thing worth an interrogation, how much is this hype of negation costing the country.
It so now looks like any act of national importance should only be tested and validated on political scales and that is not particular to the constitution making process only or any other closely similar projects but to the broad development radar.
It is therefore you and me who have to engage into transformational actions that impact the country in the positive. This then translates to development being the duty of every capable citizen. It may not mean tilting or levering mountains, but any contribution however, meager is worth a recognition and contributes to the overall vision of a bettered country.
Recently speaking at a development conference, I cited Mr Sharpe, the chairman of Augur Investments as an ideal example in this vision to indulge the country into a hastened process of national development.
Despite being a capable business mogul who has sacrificed his business proceeds to Zimbabwe’s betterment, he has adopted the specimen lab test to show that Zimbabwe’s redemption to its status ante is an un-barricaded possibility whose essence can be a broad daylight reality. Mr Sharpe is working on two big projects that include the construction of the airport road, and a now popular Mall of Zimbabwe, which, like the US Mall of America, which got an outsourced concept from Triple Five Group who themselves owns West Edmonton Mall, the biggest in North America, the Mall of Zimbabwe got a concept from the Edendale Mall in Pietermaritzburg.
The Mall of America is the most visited mall in the world as it received 40 million visitors per annum. This magnificent shopping centre, which opened doors on 11 August 1992 cost US$650 million dollars in construction.
The US$100 million Mall of Zimbabwe will however, be the second biggest in the entire Africa and will facelift the structural outlook of Zimbabwe’s infrastructure and will employ an approximated 4 000 people and provide business entrepreneurial opportunities to thousands more. 
As true it is that the project will brighten the country’s Doing Business Index (DBI) while repositioning it back to its Bread Basket of Africa tag, the project should be perceived as an edifier of home grown solutions to the continent’s economic afflictions.
According to Mr Sharpe the Mall of Zimbabwe, although immense in its magnitude, will still record a shortfall in the expectations of the current Zimbabwean market as it will only cover 68 000 square meters and will not be able to cover the 210 000 square meters shopping space shortfall in Harare where existing malls only provide 110 000 square meters.
To further his dedication, he said there is need to for an extension of a similar project in the country to cater for Zimbabwe’s urgent retail and competitive infrastructure needs.
It is important that Zimbabwe transcend into a viable growth oriented country that comprehends pure development free from the political lines of thought. As we move towards the UNWTO, another world tourism expo, it is imperative that as a country, we architect our own self-defined exhibition gallery of the national beauty. It is a scientific fact that we all aspire to see a Zimbabwe that calls for the eye’s attention.
The UNWTO will be co-hosted by two nations, Zambia and Zimbabwe and according anticipations, the event will earn the two countries and international limelight.
The question then is “How ready are we to host such wondrous occasions?”
In 2010 Bulawayo failed to capitalise on the World Cup that was held in South Africa.
The holiday Inn and the Rainbow hotel apart from their incompetent upgrading, could not contain the overwhelming capacity of potential world cup tenants.
This is yet another opportune time for Zimbabwe to attract a regional market and boost Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).
Mr Sharpe’s Mall of Zimbabwe which will have a capacity of 150 retail shops has, even before the project’s construction terminus, managed to lure regional market giants like Shoprite, Pick and Pay, Game, Truworths, Mr Price, Spar, Woolworths and Edgars who are likely going to be using some space in the mall hence creating a diversified market and product range.
Unless as Zimbabweans we desist from mediocre classroom critiquing and envying ourselves as hill-top analysts on matters of high importance, we will be witnesses to our own miseries, gracing opportunities come and go with the day’s twilight only to sing high noted posthumous songs of lost glory.
Zisunko Ndlovu is a development practitioner and writer. He can be contacted at [email protected]